1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to seat or pant insulating and waterproofing devices and, more particularly, to a convenient wrap-around and waterproof article of apparel which can be quickly applied over the user""s conventional outdoor clothing and which provides a measured degree of both waterproof resistance when the user is in a seated position during the outdoor activity, as well as a degree of insulating warmth.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of insulating and, to some extent, waterproofing, seat materials are known in the art and for use in outdoor activities. A first example of such a device is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,895, issued to Sovereign, and which discloses a garment for protecting the buttocks of a wearer when seated.
Sovereign includes a waist band with a rectangular pad depending downwardly from a rear of the waist band and having a width which extends around the rear of the wearer and downwardly beyond the wearer""s crotch. A utility pocket is provided on an inner or front surface of the pad and so that the pocket is arranged forwardly and between the legs of the user when the user is seated. On the outside of the pad is provided a transparent plastic cover defining a pocket for receiving printed information such as a sports logo and the pocket is closable by pulling the waist band around the waist of the user.
While providing an interesting disclosure, it is noted that the device of Sovereign likely has certain limitations to the size of individual to which it can be applied by virtue of its construction. Furthermore, the incorporation of multiple layers of material, including the inner fleece layer, the layer of foam material, and the outer waterproof layer, tend to add bulkiness to the article. It has been also found that, once the outer waterproof layer inevitably becomes ripped, torn or snagged due to persistent outdoor use, the inner layers of a device such as Sovereign will quickly become waterlogged and compromised, thus rendering them ineffective for their intended tasks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,634, issued to Brinkman, teaches a belt type garment with foldable seat cover and having straps projecting from opposing ends of a pouch secured about a user""s waist. An elongate opening formed in the pouch is positioned above the user""s seat and is releasably closed by two separate (inner and outer) zippers. An elongate panel or sheet of flexible, waterproof material is secured at one end of one edge of the pouch opening to extend downwardly out of one (outer) zipper into an operative position beneath one""s seat. The panel or sheet may then be secured in place by two other straps which fasten around the legs of the user. The inner zipper may be closed to retain personal items in the pouch. When not in use, the waterproof panel is rolled up and stored in the pouch.
While providing an effective article, Brinkman includes a substantially rectangular and uniform cover section with only a first and second strap extending from opposite edges of the cover section. The further fact that the straps extend from proximately the outer opposite edges, rather than from more central locations of the panel of material, causes to provide a lesser degree of support to the user. Accordingly, the device of Brinkman tends to become very cumbersome and bulky when worn by a user, in that it restricts the freedom of motion of the user""s legs and due to the tendency of the user to want to be able to move about with the upper portion of one leg in varying differing positions relative to the other leg, such usually being the case when climbing or scaling upon outdoor obstacles (trees, shrubs, hills, etc.). Accordingly, Brinkman would in reality be fairly limiting in actual applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,859, issued to Hamberg, discloses a supplementary clothing article suitable for outdoor use and which provides an insulated area between a user and a substrate surface, such as a cold surface. The article is adapted to be worn about a user""s torso in a folded condition when not in use. The article is composed of a plurality of pad members each including a layer of mat insulating material provided with an outer covering of a textile material and a flexible connection forming a fold area between adjacently located pad members. Also included are a pair of spaced-apart flexible strap means, one of which is located near the upper end of an upper-most pad member and the other being near an upper end of a lower-most pad member for encircling a wearer""s torso at the waist when the article is in a folded form or in use and so that the strap means encircle the lower torso in the region of the user""s legs. Applicant""s best understanding of Hamberg therefore is that it does not teach or suggest the provision of dedicated pairs of straps for securing about the first and second legs of the user and apart from additional straps for engaging around the user""s waist or lower torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,706, issued to Netz, teaches a garment convertible from a muffler to a seat warmer and which includes a foldable pad which can be unfolded, worn about the waist of the user, and worn over and below the rear buttocks of the user, thereby serving as a seat. The pad can also be folded and secured in its folded state to define a space within for receiving the hands of the user, strapped to the waist of the user, and worn in front of the user, thus serving as a muffler. The pad is preferably composed of three adjacent pads joined to one another to facilitate folding. The pad is also preferably insulated and constructed out of a waterproof material, thus permitting its use under a wide variety of weather conditions.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,423, issued to Foss, discloses a flexible shield mountable on the rump of a user""s body to protect the user from incurring bruises and abrasions while sliding down a hill. The shield includes a skid plate and adjustable straps for releasably attaching the skid plate to the rump of the user. The skid plate is further preferably a sheet of flexible plastic, substantially rectangular in form, and having a smooth posterior surface for sliding on snow or ice. A lower portion of the skid plate is bifurcated by a vertical slit to facilitate walking with the shield in place. A waist strap is inserted through slits in the left and right upper corners of the skid plate. Left and right leg straps secure the lower portion of the skid plate to the user""s legs. A crotch strap is inserted through a slit in a flap in the lower central portion of the skid plate, the two ends of the crotch strap passing between the legs and being connected to the ends of the waist strap.
The present invention is a wrap around article capable of being donned by a user engaged in outdoor pursuits and including an ergonomically configured main body having top, side and bottom edges and which is constructed of a durable and waterproof material such as neoprene with an interior cushioning foam material. A main belt is secured in proximity to the top edge of the article. First and second secondary straps are secured at specified locations proximate the bottom edge of the main body.
The main belt includes snap fit members forming terminating portions of adjustable first and second lengths. Releasably interengaging Velcro(copyright) attachment portions extend from ends of first and second pairs of fixed legging straps forming the first and second straps for comfortably securing the article to the buttocks and upper legs of the user. Additional interengaging attachment portions, typically again Velcro(copyright) portions, are provided in opposingly facing fashion between a front facing surface of the main body and selected legging straps and in order to maintain the legging straps in a substantially flush and adhering fashion against the front surface of the main body. Additional features include the employment of rivets to reinforce the integrity of the article.
A second preferred embodiment substitutes the substantially planar and square shaped cross section with first and second downwardly extending and arcuately configured legging portions. The purpose of the legging portions is to provide additional conformance of the article to the user""s legs and buttocks. As with the first preferred embodiment, additional interengaging attachment portions are provided in opposingly fashion between the front facing surface of the main article body and selected legging straps and in order to maintain the legging straps in a substantially flush and adhering fashion against the front surface of the main body.